FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 14, 2013
Contact:
John Kelly
(917) 745-7554
HUDSON RIVER PARK LEGISLATION AMENDMENT SIGNED BY GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO, ENSURING THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY OF THE FIVE-MILE WATERFRONT PARK
Hudson River Park Trust today announced that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation to ensure the continued and long-term viability of Hudson River Park, originally created through State legislation in 1998.
“Hudson River Park is proof that great things happen when the State and City work together towards a shared goal. In just fifteen years, Hudson River Park has become a recreational destination for millions of residents and visitors to Manhattan and home to thousands of outdoor enthusiasts ranging from youth sports groups to kayakers. By creating new income streams and removing some of the Park's existing financial burdens, the new legislation gives the Park a vital financial lifeline,” said Diana Taylor, Chair of the Hudson River Park Trust.
“All of us who love Hudson River Park thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership in supporting our Park and for signing the amended Hudson River Park Act into law,” said Madelyn Wils, President and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust. “Thanks also to all of our elected officials who worked so closely with us to achieve this important milestone, especially the bill's sponsors, Assembly Members Gottfried and Glick. We look forward to working closely with our neighbors, our community boards, elected officials and the City and State to make sure the legislation fulfills its promise to the public to keep Hudson River Park one of New York's truly great open spaces and ultimately, a more resilient, attractive and safe waterfront.”
“Hudson River Park is an important asset for New York. The new law will provide urgently-needed financial relief to the park, improve its quality and protect the principles built into the Hudson River Park Act,” said Assembly Member Richard Gottfried. “It was developed through a year-and-a-half long deliberative process involving a broad-based task force assembled by the Hudson River Park Trust, which included all the local elected officials in the Park’s area and representatives of the local community boards, park advocates and users, and other stakeholders. There were public forums and meetings with community boards. I applaud Governor Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg, Assembly Speaker Silver, all the local elected officials in the park area, and the Trust for their work in making this happen.”
“The passage of this bill is an important step in ensuring that Hudson River Park can be maintained for years to come at the level New Yorkers have come to expect,” said Holly Leicht, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks. “The ability to reduce development on commercial piers by selling air rights to owners of properties east of the West Side Highway - after an exhaustive public review process for each individual site - could bring much-needed resources to the park, while protecting the park itself from further privatization.”
“The Hudson River Park was created as a public/private partnership,” said David Gruber, Chairperson of Community Board 2. “I think that when done with appropriate size and bulk, air rights transfers can successfully be woven into the fabric of the City and at the same time help maintain this amazing open space and recreational resource of New York.”
“The Hudson River Park is one of New York City’s most treasured naturalresources, and this law will help improve and protect it for futuregenerations,” said Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League ofConservation Voters. “Not only will this law lead to decreased developmentin Hudson River Park, it will make the park itself more resilient whilefunding desperately needed repairs. We applaud Governor Cuomo and theLegislature for their environmental leadership and for their efforts to conserve this iconic park.”
“Completion of the Hudson River Park is of importance to the whole region. This legislation begins to put the Park's construction and long term sustainability back on track," saidBob Yaro, President, Regional Plan Association.
“A great moment for moving the Park forward for the long-term benefit of all New Yorkers,” said Vin Cipolla, President, Municipal Art Society.
“For families on the west side of downtown Manhattan, Hudson River Park is our Central Park,” said Tobi Bergman, spokesperson for Pier 40 Champions, an initiative of 8 youth sports groups serving 5000 children. “The financial crisis the Trust is facing has forced us to imagine our lives without it. If Pier 40 closes, many children will have to stop playing sports and the park will lose its most important source of income. We applaud the governor, our legislators, the Trust for forward thinking changes to the park Act, and especially the allowance for air rights transfers. We are looking forward to working with the Trust, our elected officials, and all our neighbors to implement these changes in a way that protects the park and neighborhood we all love. Call me naive, but I truly believe we can do this together.”
The legislation will allow for some longer-term commercial leases and will permit a wider array of uses on certain designated commercial piers. At Pier 76, currently a municipal tow pound, the City has agreed to relinquish half of the pier that it previously retained for future commercial use and to allow the Trust to generate income to support the park in that area instead. The balance of the pier would remain restricted to public open space.
The new legislation is also the first step in ensuring the Park and the surrounding benefits financially from future development spurred along the park corridor. Since the first section of the Park opened, approximately $4 billion has been invested along the park corridor, in over 100 buildings, yet the park has not received any financial benefits from this new development. The legislation now authorizes the transfer of unused air rights within one block east of the Park from the few piers where commercial development is permitted, subject to changes in existing zoning regulations. The process of amending zoning will entail extensive coordination with the City, local community boards and elected officials. It will also require environmental review and ultimately approvals through the City's mandated ULURP process. When air rights transfers are approved, funds from such transfers will be used to implement desperately needed repairs to the infrastructure of Pier 40 and allow for capital funding to complete the 30% of park which has not yet to be transformed.
Among the legislation's numerous other provisions is a new ability by the Trust to collect fees from some passenger ships excluding ferries subject again to additional process, changing the southern border to Chambers Street (rather than Battery Place), and an agreement by the State and City to indemnify the Park, thereby reducing existing financial burdens.